Project idea - will Arduino be the right choice?

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi there Arduino Community!

I apologize if my question has been answered before, or if it is too broad. I need to build a prototype with a vibration sensor delivering input, de-activating an electro magnet and releasing an object.

Envision this:
-An object is held in the UP position by an electro magnet.
-A vibration sensor with adjustable sensitivity (ie. 4 settings) is attached to the object.
-When the object is touched/hit, a vibration sensor detects it and sends the info to the microprocessor.
-When the object has been touched/hit the chosen number of times, the microprocessor tells the electro magnet to release the object to the DOWN position.
-The human system operator can manually lift the object back to the UP position straight after the object being released, and the electro magnet should be ON again to keep the object in position for another run.
-The human system operator should be able to manually change the number of touches/hits needed for the magnet to release between 1 and 5.

The system needs to be able to do the following:

  1. Receive input from a vibration sensor.
  2. The vibration sensor needs to have adjustable sensitivity, ie. 4 settings.
  3. The system operator needs to be able to manually set the number of inputs from the vibration sensor before the electro magnet is released. I envision between 1 and 5 inputs (vibrations) before activation.
  4. The electro magnet should be able to reset to 'ON' status after approx. 5 seconds, so that the released object can be re-attached shortly after being released.
  5. The system operator should be able to manually change the number of needed inputs between each run of the system.

What I think I need for this project:

Arduino UNO board
Vibration sensor of some sort
Potentiometer for adjusting sensitivity
Electro Magnet
Analog or digital contact with settings 1 to 5 for adjusting number of needed inputs before releasing the electro magnet
Battery/Power source

Am I missing something?
Will Arduino be a good choice for the project?
Can anyone help me with the coding and building the project?

Again, I'm sorry if I have left out some important information in order for you to answer my questions. It's been a while (20 years) since I fiddled with building electronic guitar effect pedals :wink:

Thanks in advance!
Ebbe Wolff
Denmark.

2

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

This project seems a very easy task for an Arduino.

Split your project in several blocks.
Read a potentiometer, read a piezo (knocksensor), drive a solenoid etc.
When they all work individually, then think of combining them into one program.

Start with the examples that come with the IDE.
The "read a pot" and "knocksensor" are in there.
Leo..